Los Angeles Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro demands Robin Lopez suspension – NBA Update
When the Los Angeles Clippers faced off against the Phoenix Suns recently, an ugly incident took place on the court. Suns’ centre Robin Lopez fouled Clippers star Blake Griffin hard, earning a flagrant 2 in the process and subsequently being ejected from
the game.
Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro though isn’t satisfied with the punishment meted out to Lopez thought. So incensed is the coach that he has called on the NBA to suspend Lopez for future NBA games until Blake Griffin is fit and healthy.
Vinny was beside himself with anger when Lopez featured for the Suns on Saturday in their loss to the Denver Nuggets. His player, Blake Griffin, is still suffering the effects of the injury while the man responsible for it, i.e. Lopez, is out playing for
his side.
Vinny doesn’t believe that to be fair at all, especially when Lopez’s assault was malicious and intentional, not a result of an accidental collision at all.
"I have an issue that Blake got hit that hard and he is in pain and he is still in pain and the player that did that played yesterday," Del Negro said. "I have a problem with that. I don't know how the league wants us to deal with that because then it will
get out of hand."
The veiled warning that things could get out of hand was a hint by Del Negro that if the NBA doesn’t step in, players could go looking for revenge on their own. Del Negro believes that to prevent any ill feeling, the rule should be changed to make the culprit
sit out as long as his victim hasn’t recovered.
"To me it doesn't make a lot of sense when a player gets a flagrant 2 and he's able to play and the other player is still in pain," Del Negro said. "To me what makes sense is that player doesn't play until that player is healthy and playing”
Griffin’s aggressive and dominating dunks have endeared him to the fans, but the players are a different breed. That is the reason he has to take a lot of physical punishment whenever he steps on to the court, and it is obviously becoming a cause of concern
for the Clippers.
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